SPI114 Analytical Skills: Dubbing part 2

Hola clase,

Your last assignment was to listen to videos and repeat them ... English to English.

I wanted you to pay attention to the method you chose to get the assignment done, because as Interpreters these are the methods you'll use in real world situations. Some of you had the ability to listen and transcribe simultaneously, while others listened, took handwritten notes then rewound (is that the correct word? rewinded sounds funny to me ...) and continued to listen and write until the message was complete.

On a side-note: In Spanish the "rewound" or "rewind" thing is easier ... Ella tomó las notas escritas a mano, después rebobinó la cinta, y escuchó otra vez...

Just like last time pay attention to tone, emphasis, and any inflections. I also want you to keep in mind that you are the expert, we have no idea what the speaker is saying, all of our attention is on you... so sell it, don't let us know that you don't know or that you have doubts... remember we DON'T KNOW anything except, what YOU tell us... keyword, CONFIDENCE.

Here are 5 videos to pick from:

1. Los perros y los gatos beben de la misma manera :50

2. El "atasco" dublines del coche de Obama 1:01

3. Manada de ballenas piloto fuera de peligro  :59

4. Sarkozy a gurús de internet: "Ustedes no viven en un mundo paralelo" :44

5. Escalada de violencia en Yemen 1:25

Here's what you need to think about while you prepare ... (stuff I'm going to ask in class next week)
1. Is this easier or harder or the same as the English assignment? Why?
2. Did you prepare for this assignment the same way you did for the English assignment? Why or why not?
3. No stress ... enjoy!

Ciao,
MLMoore

SPI214 Intro to Translation: 3 easy steps

Hola clase me again,

In class we talked about the 3 steps to translating... here's a reminder:

Step 1. Look up your word in the English/Spanish section of your GOOD bilingual dictionary. Many times this will be the only step you need, because a GOOD bilingual dictionary will provide various examples of the word used in context... a definite plus!

Step 2. Look up your word in the Spanish/English section of your GOOD bilingual dictionary. You do this to verify that the word you selected is used correctly in the context that you need for the translation.

Step 3. Look up your word in a Spanish/Spanish dictionary. This allows you the opportunity to see your word definition for native Spanish speakers and if it's a GOOD Spanish/Spanish dictionary it will also provide examples and maybe even synonyms.

Step 4. If you really wanted, you could also invest in a GOOD Spanish Dictionary of Synonyms (un diccionario de sinónimos). This will provide you with another opportunity to see the words used in context and help clarify when to use which word.

ASSIGNMENT: Let's look at the word "took". I'm going to give you 10 sentences in English, translate them into Spanish. HINT... it's not the same verb...

1. I took an aspirin.
2. I took the book out of the library.
3. I took the book back to the library. 
4. I can't take it anymore!
5. It took us 5hrs to get there.
6. I took my mother to the store.
7. The policemen took my driver's license.
8. I took off my shoes.
9. I took the wrong road.
10. I took my brother's CD.

If you don't have a GOOD bilingual dictionary, here's the link to the site we used in class:
WordReference: Took

I'll post this in the forum on Moodle so that you guys can compare your answers. I'm also interested in seeing what our native speakers write and compare their answers... since they're from different countries.

Feel free to also add your responses here and/or on Facebook to get even more comparisons... I hope!

Namaste,
MLMoore

PS. Did you guys catch the hint about investing in a GOOD bilingual dictionary?
Ciao...

SPI214 Intro to Translation: Cognates

Hola clase,

Here's a recap of what we talked about in class:

Cognates... true cognates occur when the spelling of 2 words are identical or almost identical and their meaning is the SAME in both languages.

False Cognates occur when two words look alike but they have two different meanings.
For example...

1. actual DOES NOT mean actual or real, it means current or present
2. arsenal DOES NOT mean munitions factory, it means shipyard

Partial Cognates cause some problems and confusion (as we saw in class today) now you have a pair of words that still appear the same, but now share the same meanings, but in one language the word has additional meanings.

For example...

1. admirar does mean to admire, but in Spanish it ALSO means to astonish or to surprise
2. arena does mean arena like when you're talking about sports, but in Spanish it ALSO means sand

Partial False Cognates cause many problems, because like all forms of cognates they look alike in both languages and they share.. they may or may not be false cognates because they have several meanings.

For example...

1. asistir means to help or aid (rare usage), but is usually used to mean to attend
2. atender means to take care of, it DOES NOT mean to attend (to be present at)

As we discover more, I'll post them here, I'll add them to our class notes, and I'm thinking I'll add them to my web page (as soon as I remember my password.)

Ciao,

MLMoore

Summer Office Hours

Hola y'all,

Here are my summer office hours... I've decided to try something new this summer and hopefully if it works...

• I'll have virtual office hours Monday - Thursday 10:30am-12:00pm via Facebook. Hopefully soon also via Skype or oovoo. I'll let you know as soon as I get it set up! 
• I'll have regular office hours Tuesday and Wednesday 3:30pm -4:30pm.
• Evening office hours by appointment.

You can always text or email if you have a question. The object of the virtual office hours is to make myself more accessible for those of you working or not on campus. If you're on campus come on by...LAWD knows you won't have to fight any lines or have trouble looking for parking... just saying.

Ciao,

MLMoore

SPI114 Analytical Skills

Hola,

Here are the videos that I'd like you look at and pick one to "interpret" for class.

Focus on being "invisible"...
we should be able to watch the video and listen to your voice (think of it as a "dubbing" exercise) and not notice the difference (well maybe not the first week, but in theory)... does this mean that when you're interpreting "real world" that you have to change your voice to match the speaker... no, but you need to pay attention to tone, inflection, emphasis...

Enjoy!

1. The Blind rock Climber who sees with his tongue 1:55
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13358608

2. Queen visits Irish National Stud 1:59
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13458472

3. Japan's government suggest workers wear Hawaiian shirts 2:06
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13455687

4. Infamous Auschwitz sign restored 1:43
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13451457

5. Rail fares: Passengers react to possible increase :42
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13451929

This one I thought you would find interesting... I did. This one is 3mins, so I'm not expecting anyone to pick it, but I'm definitely going to want talk about it.

Hypnobirthing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13451452

All clips were taken from the http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ website

Ciao,
MLMoore

Summer time!!

Hola clases!

I'm so excited about this summer and our classes. First we'll be using Moodle this summer instead of Blackboard, so that should add excitement... Or at least provide some sort of entertainment as we navigate through. Second, we have schedule changes....

1. SPI114 Analytical Skills of Spanish Interpreting will meet WEDNESDAYS 1:00 - 3:30 rm N220
2. SPI214 Intro to Translation will meet TUESDAYS 1:00 - 3:30 rm N220

It doesn't make sense for us to meet 4 days a week, when we can meet 2 and the rest can be done online. Mondays and Thursdays during class time 1:00 - 3:30 I'll be available for questions via chat on Facebook, google chat, and once I learn how to work my iPad... googletalk for video chats.

I'll post schedules weekly and as topics come up I'll post them also. No worries, I'll let you know about posts via Facebook, Twitter, and Moodle.

Hopefully within the next few weeks I'll be adding video posts.

Have an awesome day and I'm looking forward to an AMAZING summer!

Ciao,
MLMoore

Finals and Summer

I know you are all as excited as I am about the end of the semester. Finals are this week and I should be receiving them in my email as I type. I'll be posting grades this week as I finish grading exams, so check blackboard daily.

This summer I'll be teaching SPI114 Analytical Skills for Interpreters and SPI214 Intro to Translation. Both classes will be taught in English, but we will be listening, speaking, and reading a lot of Spanish... if you're interested.

I'll also spend this summer playing with my new iPad, which I'm using now to type this blog! Soooooo cool! I've got a cute little wireless keyboard too. Massive smiles over here.

I've enjoyed all of classes and I wish you all a TON of success as you pursue your dreams and achieve your goals! Never stop learning...

Ciao,
MLMoore